Window latch



H. LORENZEN WINDOW LATCH July 11, 1933.

Filed Oct. 19, 1931 1% Zara/222922.

1 N V E N T O R H15 ATTORNEYS Patented July 11, 1933 UNITED I STATES HENRY LORENZEN, OF CRETE, ILLINOIS wINnow LATCH Application filed October 19, 1931. Serial N... 569,771.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in window latches, and has for its principal object the provision of an lmproved construction of this character which will be highly efficient in use and economical in manufacture.

This invention is an improvement over my U. S. Patent No. 1,815,787 on a Window latch dated July 21, 1981, and filed June 28, 1928.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved window latch to prevent unauthorized movement of both the upper and lower sashes of a window.

It is another object of the invention to construct the supporting means for the latching element of the invention in such a manner that the elements which secure said means to the upper rail of the lower sash cannot be forced out of said rail by force applied to the upper or lower sash when the. latching element is in effective position.

The invention includes a cam eccentrically mounted on a bracket carried by the upper rail of the lower sash and this cam when in eifective position is urged by a spring into frictional engagement with the stile of the upper sash: and it is an object of the present invention to provide improvement over my above identified patent and comprising unique, simple, effective and inexpensive means to retain the cam in ineffective nosition out of engagement with the stile of the upper sash when it. desired to permit the sashes to be moved freely up and down :and which means may be readily manipulated to return the cam to effective position.

Another object of the invention resides in constricting the means aforesaid so that by an easy and simple operation the cam may be released and returned to eltective position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. 1

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying, drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

1 is a perspective view of the invention installed for use;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view illustrating'the operation of the invention;

Fig. 8 is avertical sectional view on line 83 in Fig. 2; 'Fig. 4c is a top plan view on line l4 in Fig. 3; t

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view on line 5 'n Fig. 2; and I Fig. 6 is a side'elovational view looking from left to right in Fig. 3.

In the drawing, which illustrates a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, a window casement is indicated genorally at 10 and associated therewith in a con ventional manner are the upper and lower sashes 11 and-l2 which include, respectively, the stile'l3 and the top rail 14.

Indicated at 15 is a support in the form of an L-shaped bracket which includes a foot portion 16 that is mounted on the upper rail 14 of the lower sash. The bracket 15 also includes an upright portion 17 which has at itsupper end a bifurcated flange 18 to guide the sash cord 19. V

A spindle or shaft is indicated at 20 and this spindle has a squared end portion '21 which is fixed in an'aperture 22 in the upright bracket portion 17. The-spindle 20 includes a cylindrical, portion23 on which a cam 2d is eccentrically mounted for floating movement. This spindle 23 includes a. head 25 that is provided with a diametrically extending slot 26 in which a retaining element 27 is movable, the retaining element 27 being pivotally mounted between its ends on a pintle 28 that is fixed in the head 25 and extends transversely across the slot 26. Resilient means in the form of a spring 29, arranged about the spindlelportion. 28, urges the cam 24 into frictional engagement with the stile 13; this spring having one end (Fig. 3) connected to the upright bracket portion 17 and the other end being secured to the cam 24.

' The spring 29 urges the eccentrically;

mounted cam 24 against the stile 13 (counterclockwise as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 6) whereby the serrated segment'30 of the periphery of oted.

the cam will frictionally engage the stile 13 so that, therefore, if an unauthorized attempt is made to raise the lower sash 12 or to lower the upper sash 11 the cam 24, by reason of its eccentric mounting, will be wedged against the stile 13 and thus prevent movement of both sashes.

It is frequently desirable to allow the sashes to be moved freely up and down and to permit this I provide the improved means the function of which will now be described and which particularly constitutes the present improvement over my former patent above identified. To this end the cam 24 may be rotated clockwise (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) by pressing down on the finger grip 32 until the segmental recess 31 of the cam periphery comes opposite the pivotal retaining element 27 whereupon the retaining element 2.7 will fall into the recess 31, engage with the shoulder 33 at one end of the recess, and hold the cam 24 away from the stile 13 and thus in ineffective position. To release the cam 24 and return it to effective position it is merely necessary to press in on the portion 27a of the retaining element 27 that is disposed above the pintle 28 and thus pivot the retaining element 27 out of the segmental recess 31 whereupon the spring 29 will return the cam into frictional engagement with the stile 13-.

Experience teaches that if the upright portion 17 of the bracket is rigidly connected to the foot portion 16 and considerable force is applied to move either: sash when the cam is in effective position, the screws 35 are apt to be dislodged from the rail 14. To prevent this possibility I construct the bracket as follows:

The upright portion 17 of the bracket 15 is pivotally connected, as at 34, to the foot portion 16 of the bracket whereby if considerable force is applied to either sash by an unauthorized person attempting to open the same, while the cam is in effective position the upright portion 17 will be pivoted away from the stile 13 (clockwise Figs. 1 and 2) and the possibility, inherent in a rigid connection between 17 and 16, of the screws 35 being pulled out of upper rail 14 of the lower sash 12 by said force is thus eliminated; itbeing noted that the spring 29 will still keep thecam in effective position against the stile 13 when the bracket portion 17'isthus piv- While I have illustrated anddescribed the preferredform of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: p

1. In a device of the character described, a support adapted to be mounted on the upper rail of the lower sash of a window and ineluding an upright portion, a member mounted on said upright portion, a cam eccentrically mounted on said member and having a segmental recess in its peripheral surrotated in a direction opposite to that in which it is urged by said means, to retain the cam in ineffective position.

2. In a device of the character described, a support adapted to be mounted on the upper rail of the lower sash'of a window and including an upright portion, a member mounted on said upright portion, a cam eccentrically mounted on said member, means arranged about said member urging said cam into frictional engagement with a stile of the upper sash of the window, said member including a portion disposed exteriorly of the cam provided with a slot, and a retaining element movably mounted on said portion in the slot, and adapted to move into the segmentalrecess, when the cam is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it is urged by said means, to retain the cam in ineffective position. i

3. I a device of the class described, a support adapted to be mounted on the upper rail of the lower sash of a window and including anupright portion, a member mounted on said upright portion, a cam eccentrically mounted on said member and having a segmental recess in its peripheral surface providing a shoulder, means arranged about said member urging said cam into frictional engagement with a style of the upper sash of the window, said member including a portion disposed cxteriorly of the cam provided with a slot, a retaining element movably mounted on said portion in the slot and adapted to move into the segmental recess into engagement with the shoulder, when the cam is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it is urged by said means, to retain the cam in ineffective position.

4. In a device of the class described, a bracket including a foot portion adapted to be mounted on the upper rail of the lower sash of a window and including an upright portion pivotally connected to said foot portion for movement in a vertical arc at a rightangle to the axis of the window, a member mounted on said upright portion, a cam eccentrically mounted on said member and having a segmental recess in its peripheral surface, means arranged about said member urging said cam into frictional engagement with a stile of the upper sash of the window, and a retaining element carried by said member eicteriorly of the cam and adapted to move into the segmental recess, when the cam is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it is urged by said means, to retain the cam in ineffective position, said pivotal connection enabling the upright portion of said HENRY LORENZEN. 

